Andrew Strauss, dean of the University of Dayton's School of Law since 2015, has announced he will conclude his appointment Dec. 31 and return to the faculty after an administrative sabbatical. 

"Andy Strauss has been an extraordinary academic leader for our School of Law," said Paul Benson, provost and executive vice president of academic affairs. "In collaboration with the faculty and staff, he has advanced the school’s student outcomes and academic quality, and elevated its competitive position in Ohio. He has formed innovative partnerships with other academic units at UD and with institutional partners around the world. Through his hard work and creative spirit, he has positioned the School of Law well to thrive in an intensely competitive environment."  

During his eight years as dean, Strauss provided dedicated and innovative leadership that led to the significant transformation of the School of Law through the hard work of faculty and staff, and with the support of the University community. In conjunction with law faculty and staff, he implemented initiatives to improve selectivity (from 58% of applicants accepted to 28% of applicants accepted), median Law School Admission Test scores (from 148 to 154), GPAs of incoming students (from 3.04 to 3.58) and job placement (from 63% to 92%). The improvements in these metrics are among the nation's largest during this time span, according to statistics submitted to the American Bar Association.  

In part because of these increases, the School of Law jumped 22 spots in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report graduate school rankings, which tied for the largest leap among U.S. law schools. 

"Beyond advancing the School of Law, Dean Strauss has been a thoughtful University leader and a wonderful colleague," said Eric F. Spina, president of the University of Dayton. "Andy is a highly strategic thinker who has not been bound by conventional, albeit sometimes stale, wisdom; and in this challenging time for higher education, his work has not only better positioned law at UD but also inspired innovation across the University. We will miss Andy as a leader, but I look forward to his continued contributions at UD."

The curricular innovations Strauss helped spur during his time at UD include starting one of the nation's first accredited hybrid J.D. programs in the fall of 2019 after the School of Law received a variance from the American Bar Association. The program has garnered interest nationwide, with students living in 29 states. The school added graduate degrees in American and transnational law, including an online Master of Laws (LL.M.) that has enrolled students from around the world, an M.S.L. in government contracting and procurement law, and a non-degree program to educate Korean lawyers in the fundamentals of American law. There are more than 200 students enrolled in these programs and, overall, Strauss has more than doubled the number of students enrolled in the School of Law.

As a result of a major effort by many in the School of Law, diversity, access and affordability improved dramatically under Strauss. 

National Jurist’s preLaw magazine named the school one of the best nationally for African Americans in its winter 2020 issue. A third of the school's 2022 entering class were students from underrepresented and underserved populations. According to statistics submitted by the School of Law to the American Bar Association, the school’s J.D. program has become the most diverse in Ohio.

With partners in the local legal community, the Flyer Legal Pathways Program recruits underrepresented and underserved students and provides them full law school tuition, a $15,000 per year stipend for living expenses, mentors, summer clerkships and a job following graduation. The Leadership Honors Program, also instituted under Strauss, features full tuition scholarships, custom-designed leadership training, and mentoring by prominent judges and lawyers.

Other notable progress by the School of Law during Strauss’ tenure includes partnerships with the University of Dayton’s Human Rights Center and Hanley Sustainability Institute, an overhaul of the traditional law school curriculum, an undergraduate-like majors system of J.D. concentrations, the hiring of more than half the law school's faculty, technology partnerships with LexisNexis and Emerson, and a network of 12 partnerships with law schools around the world.  

"Stepping down was a difficult decision for me to make, but I have many unexplored interests, and I’ve always believed that we grow by knowing when to let go," Strauss said. "Serving as dean at the University of Dayton School of Law has been a tremendous honor and the highlight of my career. I am extremely proud of our faculty, staff, students, alumni and university partners and everything we have accomplished together. I look forward to returning to the law faculty and staying involved with the Dayton legal community."

Provost Benson has discussed with the law faculty and staff initial thoughts about the process for appointment of the next dean. Provost-designate Darlene Weaver and President Spina will consult with Benson and the law school community before setting firm plans for that process.  

Before coming to Dayton, Strauss, who performs research on international law, transactions and organizations, was the associate dean for faculty research and strategic initiatives and a professor of law at the Widener University Delaware Law School. Prior to joining the Delaware law faculty, Strauss practiced law in New York City for the firms of Shearman & Sterling and Graham & James. His practice centered on international banking and finance. He also has taught in Singapore and Austria and directed the Geneva/Lausanne and Nairobi international law institutes.

For more information or interviews, contact Shawn Robinson, associate director of news and communications, at 937-229-3391, 937-232-2907 or srobinson1@udayton.edu.